Batman: Secrets of the family
by Gorvar
Summary: A series of killings has thrown Gotham into a panic. It's victims were infected by the Joker-Venom...only the Joker is still in Arkham Asylum. Batman must find out who has taken up the mantle of a new Joker. One clue is open to him, pages from a diary.
1. Chapter 1

Part 1

The symbol of a giant bat was in the air as rain and thunder came down like tears from countless of children. The headlights of the police cars reflected the rain a sit fell through their blue and red headlights. Three stood in front of an alley where yellow police wires set up the crime scene.

A greying man cursed as he tried to light his pipe. " Son of a..."

A young officer lit his lighter and lit the pipe.

"Thanks, kid." Gordon said before he inhaled the sweet, sweet smoke.

"You think he'll be here soon?" the rook asked.

"You don't know with him." Gordon replied." He can be here in an hour, or the next second."

"Jim." A heavy dark voice sounded above them.

Both officers look up and shielded their eyes as the search light of a blimp blinded them, save for the silhouette of the caped crusader. His long black cape waved in the heavy winds as pointy horns came from his head. White eye slits protruded from his head as he glided down from the rooftop to the alleyway. The man was well built under the black and grey Kevlar vest with a black cat covered on his chest.

"My god..." the rook whispered." It's the Batman..."

"Took you long enough, catching a cold here." Jim inhaled one more time." Come on."

"Problems out of town, couldn't be helped." Batman folded his cape around himself as he walked alongside Commissioner Jim Gordon.

"Your newest Robin?" Gordon asked.

Batman gave a small nod." He and the other Batman had a small problem, I helped."

The 'other' Batman was Nightwing, the very first Robin and the current one Damian, his son. Dick Grayson was more of a father figure to his son, then he was. He shrugged it aside." What is the problem?"

"We got an anonymous tip of a homicide." The commissioner guided Batman to the body.

She was about thirty years old, red haired. Her dress was blue, short skirt, now drenched under the rain. The wall behind her was curved with strange runes in a circular motion, he had seen them before somewhere...

Her black purse with an laptop indicated she was a business woman. A ring was on her finger, married presumably. Beneath her hideous grin she had a necklace with white pearls.

Batman's mind went back two decades to a similar alley. The sound of white pearls hitting the floor, two gunshots, two thuds.

Batman knelt down to the corpse and let his scientific mind take over, shoving the memory aside. "Any ID?"

"Sarah Gilderman, Lawyer. 32 years old. She had a husband and two kids. "

He didn't have to had taken an blood sample to know when he saw her face a few moments before.

"This is not Joker's venom." He said.

"We noticed." Jim said." She's not the first one we found. Similar like her though, grinning and all...but." he pointed his pipe to the body." No pale skin."

"Amateur-work perhaps..." Batman took out a small photocamera from his belt and took some pictures before he placed it back and pulled out a syringe." You said others?"

Gordon nodded." Two more. A rich business man and a trailer trash deadbead."

"A lawyer, an business man and a lower middle class man...I don't see any connection."

" Those runes are also written near the other corpses, but other then that there is no real connection except one...they all had kids, Batman."

Batman stood up as other officers covered her body with a white sheet.

"Also this."

Gordon gave three plastic coversheets to the dark knight. The Batman looked at it and knew what was written on the sheet of paper.

"We found them at each of the corpses."

"Amadeus Arkham's diary." Batman said. The runes made sense now, they were the same as in Amadeus Arkham's cell where he scribbled the entire cell, from floor to ceiling, with those runes.

"Arkham?" Jim asked." The guy who made the Asylum?"

"One and the same. The diary was missing after that outbreak on the 1st of April a few years back."

"Is someone from the Asylum doing this?"

"That is what I'm going to try and find out." Batman said." But first...i need to see an old friend."

Arkham Asylum

Joker's cell

"Batsy!" the insane clown smiled with a hideous smirk." Long time no see, buddy!"

The Joker was in his cell put behind bulletproof glass and surrounded by five camera's both inside and out of it. The words 'ha-ha' were written all over the walls in red. His purple suit was dirty and he was thinner then their last visit, Arkham personnel didn't risk feeding him anymore.

Batman threw down three pictures on a shelf and slid it towards Joker's side of the cell.

The clown prince of crime took a look at them.

"Oh, I didn't know you were so photogenic. You caught their sides oh so well, although your lighting is much to be desired..."

"Three people have been killed by an cheap imitation of your venom, Joker. Only you and me know how to make this to be even remotely deadly."

"Still got an stick up your rodent behind, eh?" Joker giggled." Your wondering if I told someone how to make my little love juice."

"I'm not wondering, I know. The only reason why the venom doesn't have the same white skin effect is because the lack of the same venom Bane has running through his veins. I need an name."

Joker rubbed his chin and mocked as if he was pondering. He laughed out loud five seconds later and slapped his knees." Sure I'll tell ya! See it as a early birthday present, or birthday present I don't know when your birthday is. A few weeks ago, before you caught me again after my latest killing spree at the park where I killed...oh how many people was it again?"

"Sixteen people, including two children-"

"And a puppy! Would've made it four children of it wasn't for you. I like my round numbers you see. Anyway before all that, I met an very interesting character. He slipped/killed my guards as he came to me, asking to be my second. He even had a clown mask on and everything! Harley of course was caught by you and spilling the beans no doubt, and since I was bored I decided to give him a chance."

Joker took a chair and sat down. He crossed his legs as he leaned his head on his arms.

" The kid was smart Bats, like you wouldn't believe. He knew how to make poisons, how to assemble a gun, hack computers, make explosives and survived all my deathtraps..." he smirked." He even spared my life after I fell into a trap of his own making."

"Careless." Batman replied.

"Oh puh-lease Batsy, your not the only one who can drive me into a corner. But yeh, you can say the kid has a certain skill...he became my prodigy of sorts."

"Then why didn't I see him when I caught you at the park?"

"He had the brains to leave when he could." Joker replied." That...and he figured out something not even you could."

"What?"

"My name, my real name." Joker giggled manically." He's the future Batman! The next me! Fresh talent, new blood!"

"Not while I can help it." Batman replied." Now...a name."

"He gave me one...Harkam U Damas."

Batman took the pictures and walked off.

"Oh, give the boy wonders back home In your cave my warm regards!" Joker shouted after him." I'll be seeing them REAL soon! Hahahaha!"

Batman passed by others in their cells as his mind pondered. Harkam u Damas, an anagram for Amadeus Arkham. An Obvious nod towards the Arkham clues. When he got in his Batmobile he contacted the homefront.

"Alfred, you there?"

"I'm here sir, as always." Alfred replied on the other end.

"Start up the Batcomputer, load up any and all files on the Arkham family tree."

"What for, sir?"

"Either Someone is playing an exellent copycat...or Amadeus Arkham is killing from the grave..."


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

Bat Cave

Bruce learned to ignore the constant dripping inside the cave. He placed his equipment and computers on the largest platform of the cave, away from any erosion or water sources. He also placed several sonic fences as it were to keep his fellow residents of the cave away from any electronics.

He was typing away on his computer as he searched through the Arkham family tree. Although he was focused, he did hear his butler Alfred walk down the stairs holding a tray off tea, scones and a sandwich. The faint aroma of old cheese and a hint of strawberry told him it was brie and jam, his favourite. Which meant Alfred had bad news with him no doubt. "Any luck, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked as he placed the tray next to the Batman.

"None so far." Batman admitted as he took a moment to oversee the family tree." I used a program to find any other connections between the three victims of this Harkam u Damas, but that will take time. With that running I'm trying to find out if any Arkham's are still around at this time."

He motioned to the family tree on the wall." Amadeus Arkham was the only son of Elizabeth Arkham, who was killed by her son in 1920 from what I can gather was Euthanasia due to her dementia. Amadeus had a wife and daughter who were both killed by a serial killer in 1921. Amadeus himself died somewhere in the 1930-ties, the records are unclear. The only sole surviving Arkham is Jeremiah aka Black Mask, but he is still incarcerated and if anything he tried to do things differently from his uncle, so using his diary wouldn't make any sense. There has to be another Arkham we missed…"

"You believe the killer might be a Arkham, sir?" Alfred asked.

"Only me, Doctor Cavindish and Ruth know what was in Arkham's diary or what the runes mean Alfred. Ruth transferred to Metropolis and stayed out of trouble and Cavindish is dead. A other possibility is a patient stole the diary after the outbreak and then escaped."

Alfred waited for a moment before he gave an option." Did you think of returning to Arkham's cell Master Bruce?"

"It's been sealed shut after the outbreak and it's broken down, I won't be able to find anything there. Especially after Jeremiah's term as warden there, he would've wiped everything clean which even resembled a flaw to his near divine devotion to his uncle's memory." Batman took a bite from the sandwich before he let it sink in." What is your bad news Alfred?"

"Bruce, still wasting time behind a computer are we?"

Batman groaned internally as he recognized the voice of the man that came down. He was younger than him, by three years, and shared the same eyes and black hair. He wasn't as tall or though like Bruce, in fact he seemed to have gained a little weight, but if you put him and Bruce next to each other there was a resemblance there. Bruce and Edward Wayne, the heirs to the Wayne family fortune. Edward came down the stairway, sporting a fancy Armani attire as always. His moustache was neatly trimmed as was his goatee. Bruce hated that.

"Edward." Batman said with no hint of joy in his voice." What brings you here?"

"Good to see you to, big brother." Edward smirked before he turned to Alfred." May I have a moment with Bruce here, Alfred?"

"Of course sir, would you like a sandwich?"

"I shouldn't, Elizabeth asked me to go on a diet-" Edward tried to reply but was cut off but the butler.

"It's brie and jam, sir."

"Yes that would be nice thank you, Alfred." Edward smiled as the aged butler returned the smile and went back up the stairs, ignoring the obvious glare from his employer.

"Speaking of, Elizabeth and the kids say hey." Edward said to his older brother." They wonder when their uncle Bruce is coming over again."

"You know I am a busy man, Edward." Batman replied as he stood up from his computer and walked with his brother towards the batmobile." And I know you aren't here for chit-chat either, so please get to the point."

"So crude, I wonder how you keep bringing all those women to your bed all the time." The younger Wayne said as he took a gander into the Batmobile. "There is a party this Friday, celebrating 10 years of Wayne & Co. I would like my big brother to be there for my party."

Wayne & Co was a big law firm which Edward founded ten years ago with his share of the fortune. Edward had a way with words hence he became a lawyer and with his money and expertise, later turned W&C into one of the most sought after law firms in Gotham.

"You want me at your party?" Batman asked his younger brother." W&C defended half the criminals I tried to lock up in Arkham or Blackgate."

"And defended victims of meta-human attacks as well." Edward retorted as he looked away from the Batmobile." Bruce, people haven't seen us together in months, the tabloids are murmuring the Wayne Brothers aren't getting along anymore."

"You of all people shouldn't believe what the tabloids say." Batman said.

"I know Bruce, but they have a point. We need to be seen together once in a while, we are the princes of Gotham remember? We need to be in the limelight, smiling and waving at the crowd. It would do wonders for both Wayne Industries and W&C. You can even take your…son along if you want to."

Batman gave Edward his well-known glare." You WANT Damian there?"

"Sure and bring Richard along to." Edward referred to Bruce's former ward Dick Grayson." Elizabeth hasn't met your son yet and to be honest I did not start on a right foot with him either."

"He broke your nose and nearly your kneecap." Bruce said.

"Well, I tried to freeze him with that fancy Mr Freeze gun." Edward motioned to the gun in question which was stored with the rest of Batman's souvenirs he collected over the years." Besides knowing his mother, I cant blame him. You were always horrible with women, Bruce. Why didn't you pick Wonder Woman or Miss Kyle even if-"

Batman slipped his mask on and went to shut off his computer." Goodbye, Edward."

"Bruce wait…" Edward sighed and looked at the screen." What if we do a bargain, I tell you a name your tree is missing and you come to my party."

Bruce raised a eyebrow at Edward." You know a name?"

Edward extended his hand. Batman peered at it before he shook it, immediately regretting it." I'll be there, name."

"Elizabeth's grandmother once had a sister who was a maid in Amadeus Arkham's employ. Before his incarceration for the attempted murder on his stockbroker when Wall street crashed in 1929 she was one of the few people who put up with his stewing madness. Apparently they had an affair and there was a child born of it. Mathias Heart."

TBC


End file.
